Wild dogs kill hundreds of goats

Thursday

Apr 25, 2013 at 12:01 AM

FRENCH CAMP - The San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office conducted air and ground searches Wednesday for a pack of wild dogs that has slaughtered hundreds of goats in French Camp, and one dog was shot when it advanced toward a deputy, authorities said.

Jason Anderson

FRENCH CAMP - The San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office conducted air and ground searches Wednesday for a pack of wild dogs that has slaughtered hundreds of goats in French Camp, and one dog was shot when it advanced toward a deputy, authorities said.

The dogs are believed to be responsible for at least six attacks at five locations since April 11, said Deputy Les Garcia, a spokesman for the Sheriff's Office. The bloodiest attack occurred Monday, when 160 goats were killed at the Stockton Livestock Auction Yards on East French Camp Road, Garcia said. Auction yard manager Joe Mayar said 87 goats were found dead and 73 others were euthanized because of injuries to their throats and limbs, costing his business $35,000.

"I was in shock," Mayar said. "I thought I was dreaming. I was really sad for the goats, and at the same time really mad at the dogs. I've heard of coyotes going after sheep in the country, but I never thought something like this could happen."

The dogs have killed at least 240 goats in the area, Mayar said.

The dogs were spotted near French Camp School on Monday, Garcia said, the same day they attacked goats at the auction yards and another location on South Harlan Road. Garcia said deputies notified area schools to beware of the dogs.

"Goats are a lot faster than kids," Mayar said. "If they can do this to goats, they can do it to kids."

The attacks began just weeks after a woman was mauled in a fatal pit bull attack in east Stockton.

Garcia said there were two attacks resulting in the deaths of 26 goats in the first block of East Hospital Road, the first on April 11 and the second on April 15. There were two attacks Wednesday, one on Odell Avenue and another nearby on Clayton Avenue.

"The way this is being described to me, the goats aren't being killed and eaten," Garcia said. "This is just a wild pack of dogs that are preying on the livestock, but they're not killing them to eat them. They're killing them as a game."

Witnesses told authorities the pack consists of six to 10 dogs, including pit bulls, a German shepherd and a coyote, Garcia said. Deputies and animal control officers armed with guns and tranquilizers spotted one of the pit bulls Wednesday afternoon while walking along Little John Creek, Garcia said. The dog was shot when it advanced toward the deputy, Garcia said. Two livestock owners identified the pit bull as one of the dogs involved in the goat attacks, Garcia said.

Mayar transported two goats to a French Camp field, where deputies and animal control officers set a trap for the dogs Wednesday evening.

"We're taking this seriously," Garcia said. "We're doing everything we can to find these dogs and either capture them or - if we can't do that - we may have to tranquilize or euthanize the dogs."